Nominees for Game of the Year

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Some might argue that Super Mario Galaxy 2 isn't worthy of Game of the Year honors simply because it happens to be the follow-up to a superb platformer that was well-worthy of its own GotY honors back in 2007 - and to them, SMG2 is just more of the same.

To them, I say: No. Saying that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is "just more Super Mario Galaxy" is like saying that the Mona Lisa was "just another drawing by Da Vinci." Everything that was introduced in the first Galaxy - the colorful, creative worlds; the mind-bending and gravity-warping level design - is honed to near perfection in Galaxy 2. The result is a splendid platformer that sends gaming's most recognizable icon through one imaginative obstacle course after another in a joyful celebration of everything we love about videogames.

The levels are interesting and fantastic, and it's hard to anticipate just what SMG2 will throw at you next. The boss battles are suitably challenging, the bombastic orchestral score is stirring, and a game on the Wii should not look this good. But there's simply no topping the wonderful, ecstatic sense of imagination that permeates every corner of this game.

For many of us, Mario was the reason we first started to get into gaming. Games like Super Mario Galaxy 2 are the reason we're still here.